No Cartoons if you're British or American

2006-02-12

Instead of showing the cartoons, the N.Y. Times showed a picture of the Virgin Mary in elephant dung. Catholics don't burn embassies.

Yet another day of burning embassies - and twelve Danish cartoons making the headlines all over the world.With all these headlines you'd think mainstream media would be eager to show the 12 cartoons that supposedly have caused it all. The sad state of affairs is that neither newspaper nor television in neither the UK nor the USA allow their audience to see the drawings and make their own judgments.

If you're British or American - without access to the Internet - there's no way of knowing that Arne Sørensen has made a drawing of himself, that Bob Katzenelson has portrayed the author Kåre Bluitgen and that Claus Seidel has depicted a humble prophet.

The height of stupidity must be N.Y. Times (registration required). They won't display the cartoons - out of respect for Muslims - but to show they are not afraid of censorship they illustrated their article with a piece of "art" from 1999 - of the Virgin Mary spattered with elephant dung!

Videos with hostages having their throats slit are ok. Innocent cartoons are not.

English imams are allowed to spew out death sentences against all twelve artists on the BBC - but nobody tells the audience that half of the drawings don't even show Mohammed. Out of respect for Muslims.

Imams are allowed to portray 1,3 billion Muslims as murdering psychopaths. Out of respect for Muslims.

BBC's apology was weak and very hard to find (link - scroll down to the bottom) so let's re-publish it here:

One aspect that these governments might also want to examine is how they can counter false information.

Comment: Maybe the BBC should also examine how to counter false information

Twelve cartoons were originally published by Jyllands-Posten. None showed the Prophet with the face of a pig. Yet such a portrayal has circulated in the Middle East (The BBC was caught out and for a time showed film of this in Gaza without realizing it was not one of the 12).

Comment: One of the reasons the BBC was caught out, is that BBC hasn't shown the genuine drawings. How are BBC's viewers supposed to know what the fakes look like.

This cartoon - while being funny - highlights the problem. Not even Bokbluster knows what the genuine drawings look like

This picture, a fuzzy grey photocopy, can now be traced back (suspicion having been confirmed by an admission) to a delegation of Danish Muslim leaders who went to the Middle East in November to publicise the cartoons. The visit was organised by Abu Laban, a leading Muslim figure in Denmark.

According to the Danish paper Ekstra Bladet, the delegation took along a pamphlet showing the 12 drawings. But the delegation also showed a number of other pictures, including the "pig" one. The delegation claimed they had been sent to Danish Muslims and were the sort of insults that they had to endure. These also got into circulation.

(Update: A reader has e-mailed to say that the original of the "pig" picture was from a "pig-squealing" competition held in France every summer. Some character dressed up like a pig. See the link to the neandernews.com site on the right for the details.

Ekstra Bladet has also published a letter taken by the delegation on its mission. This gives the delegation's account of how the cartoons originated and what the reaction to them was. But it also mentions other pictures, which it said were "much more offending." These presumably included the "pig" picture, whose origin is now known.

I have also been sent links to an Egyptian newspaper which published the 12 cartoons last October. The paper said that these were "racist" and would insult Muslims everywhere. See link at right)

Western diplomats appear to have missed this entirely and seem to have made no attempt to counter some of the arguments in the pamphlet or to distinguish between the various portrayals.

Comment: Western diplomats and the BBC appear to have missed this entirely.....

The extra pictures might not have made much difference (though some of my readers argue that they must have) but it shows how rapidly propaganda can add to fuel to the fire.

Comment: Yes, propaganda can rapidly add fuel to the fire when it's transmitted to millions of viewers on the BBC. I'm very reassured to hear that the picture of Mohammed as a pig "might not have made much difference". Not.

*sigh* and while nobody is allowed to see the genuine article, the fake cartoons can be spread through SMS and chat rooms.

ref:"Obviosly you people lack of respect of religion beliefs . and when it comes to mocking and disrespecting others religion ,thats where you go wrong , if people dont care about there beliefs , We Do (All Muslims) !we are very proud it.As well as we respect all other religions"

rep:I would like to know exactly how many religious persons were killed on 911? I am pretty sure those that perished that day were'nt all atheists. Respect for life AND religion is a better way to live. Cartoons are just that, a peice of paper. No one died looking at the paper. You hold an entire country responsiple for a cartoon... I do not hold an entire country responsiple for 911.You do however have very odd priorties in your life. I feel sorry for you and will pray (my) way for you and others that are so very angry over ink and wood pulp.

the reason moslums get offended so much about critisizm of islam because, they themselves donot belive in a teaching of a pedeafileand a murderer,who also copied thejewish old testament,and made it much worse.Muslims also should respect all atheists because god does not exist,and muslim kill and maiminnosent scientists and atheists who are much smarter than they are for beleiving in a nonexisting being

islam is not a relegion of peace itis a political organisation of slavery and hateopression and fashizm,they beleivein spreading hate,murder,blowing uptheir own children,mutilating their women. instead listening to alying "PROPHET" they should get a scietific atheist education,Relegons like this is the greatest EVIL of the world.throwing us back into the dark ages, Please muslims Wake up,and.reject all the BULLSHIT